diff --git a/.github/scripts/modal-custom-domain-smoke.sh b/.github/scripts/modal-custom-domain-smoke.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index 02533a68..00000000
--- a/.github/scripts/modal-custom-domain-smoke.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,58 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env bash
-set -euo pipefail
-
-modal_environment="${MODAL_ENVIRONMENT:-main}"
-modal_get_url_script="${MODAL_GET_URL_SCRIPT:-.github/scripts/modal-get-url.sh}"
-custom_domain_url="${HOUSEHOLD_MODAL_GATEWAY_CUSTOM_DOMAIN_URL:-https://household.api.policyengine.org}"
-
-if [ "${modal_environment}" != "main" ]; then
-  echo "Skipping custom-domain smoke check outside the main Modal environment."
-  exit 0
-fi
-
-gateway_url="$(bash "${modal_get_url_script}")"
-custom_domain_url="${custom_domain_url%/}"
-gateway_url="${gateway_url%/}"
-
-tmpdir="$(mktemp -d)"
-trap 'rm -rf "${tmpdir}"' EXIT
-
-gateway_versions="${tmpdir}/gateway-versions.json"
-custom_versions="${tmpdir}/custom-domain-versions.json"
-
-echo "Checking generated Modal gateway at ${gateway_url}"
-curl -fsS "${gateway_url}/liveness_check" >/dev/null
-curl -fsS "${gateway_url}/versions/us" > "${gateway_versions}"
-
-echo "Checking production custom domain at ${custom_domain_url}"
-curl -fsS "${custom_domain_url}/liveness_check" >/dev/null
-curl -fsS "${custom_domain_url}/versions/us" > "${custom_versions}"
-
-python - "${gateway_versions}" "${custom_versions}" <<'PY'
-import json
-import sys
-from pathlib import Path
-
-
-def load_versions(path: str, label: str) -> dict[str, str]:
-    try:
-        data = json.loads(Path(path).read_text())
-    except json.JSONDecodeError as e:
-        sys.exit(f"{label} /versions/us did not return JSON: {e}")
-
-    if not isinstance(data, dict):
-        sys.exit(f"{label} /versions/us returned a non-object JSON value")
-    return data
-
-
-gateway_versions = load_versions(sys.argv[1], "Generated Modal gateway")
-custom_versions = load_versions(sys.argv[2], "Custom domain")
-
-if gateway_versions != custom_versions:
-    sys.exit(
-        "Custom domain /versions/us does not match the generated Modal "
-        f"gateway. generated={gateway_versions!r} custom={custom_versions!r}"
-    )
-
-print("Custom domain points at the deployed Modal gateway.")
-PY
diff --git a/.github/scripts/test_modal_custom_domain_smoke.py b/.github/scripts/test_modal_custom_domain_smoke.py
deleted file mode 100644
index 53c596a3..00000000
--- a/.github/scripts/test_modal_custom_domain_smoke.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,141 +0,0 @@
-import os
-from pathlib import Path
-import subprocess
-
-
-SCRIPT = ".github/scripts/modal-custom-domain-smoke.sh"
-
-
-def test_modal_custom_domain_smoke_passes_when_versions_match(tmp_path):
-    env = _smoke_env(
-        tmp_path,
-        gateway_versions='{"current":"1.691.1","frontier":"1.691.1"}',
-        custom_versions='{"current":"1.691.1","frontier":"1.691.1"}',
-    )
-
-    result = subprocess.run(
-        ["bash", SCRIPT],
-        capture_output=True,
-        env=env,
-        text=True,
-    )
-
-    assert result.returncode == 0, result.stderr
-    assert (
-        "Custom domain points at the deployed Modal gateway." in result.stdout
-    )
-
-
-def test_modal_custom_domain_smoke_fails_when_custom_domain_is_not_gateway(
-    tmp_path,
-):
-    env = _smoke_env(
-        tmp_path,
-        gateway_versions='{"current":"1.691.1","frontier":"1.691.1"}',
-        custom_versions="OK",
-    )
-
-    result = subprocess.run(
-        ["bash", SCRIPT],
-        capture_output=True,
-        env=env,
-        text=True,
-    )
-
-    assert result.returncode == 1
-    assert "Custom domain /versions/us did not return JSON" in result.stderr
-
-
-def test_modal_custom_domain_smoke_fails_when_versions_differ(tmp_path):
-    env = _smoke_env(
-        tmp_path,
-        gateway_versions='{"current":"1.691.1","frontier":"1.691.1"}',
-        custom_versions='{"current":"1.690.0","frontier":"1.691.1"}',
-    )
-
-    result = subprocess.run(
-        ["bash", SCRIPT],
-        capture_output=True,
-        env=env,
-        text=True,
-    )
-
-    assert result.returncode == 1
-    assert "does not match the generated Modal gateway" in result.stderr
-
-
-def test_modal_custom_domain_smoke_skips_non_main_environments(tmp_path):
-    curl_log = tmp_path / "curl.log"
-    env = _smoke_env(
-        tmp_path,
-        gateway_versions='{"current":"1.691.1"}',
-        custom_versions='{"current":"1.691.1"}',
-    )
-    env["MODAL_ENVIRONMENT"] = "staging"
-    env["CURL_LOG"] = str(curl_log)
-
-    result = subprocess.run(
-        ["bash", SCRIPT],
-        capture_output=True,
-        env=env,
-        text=True,
-    )
-
-    assert result.returncode == 0
-    assert "Skipping custom-domain smoke check" in result.stdout
-    assert not curl_log.exists()
-
-
-def _smoke_env(
-    tmp_path: Path,
-    *,
-    gateway_versions: str,
-    custom_versions: str,
-) -> dict[str, str]:
-    get_url_script = tmp_path / "modal-get-url.sh"
-    get_url_script.write_text(
-        "#!/usr/bin/env bash\n"
-        "set -euo pipefail\n"
-        "echo https://generated-modal.example\n"
-    )
-    get_url_script.chmod(0o755)
-
-    fake_curl = tmp_path / "curl"
-    fake_curl.write_text(
-        """#!/usr/bin/env bash
-set -euo pipefail
-url="${@: -1}"
-if [ -n "${CURL_LOG:-}" ]; then
-  printf '%s\\n' "${url}" >> "${CURL_LOG}"
-fi
-
-case "${url}" in
-  https://generated-modal.example/liveness_check|https://custom-domain.example/liveness_check)
-    echo OK
-    ;;
-  https://generated-modal.example/versions/us)
-    printf '%s\\n' "${GATEWAY_VERSIONS}"
-    ;;
-  https://custom-domain.example/versions/us)
-    printf '%s\\n' "${CUSTOM_VERSIONS}"
-    ;;
-  *)
-    echo "Unexpected URL: ${url}" >&2
-    exit 22
-    ;;
-esac
-"""
-    )
-    fake_curl.chmod(0o755)
-
-    return {
-        **os.environ,
-        "PATH": f"{tmp_path}:{os.environ['PATH']}",
-        "MODAL_ENVIRONMENT": "main",
-        "MODAL_GET_URL_SCRIPT": str(get_url_script),
-        "HOUSEHOLD_MODAL_GATEWAY_CUSTOM_DOMAIN_URL": (
-            "https://custom-domain.example"
-        ),
-        "GATEWAY_VERSIONS": gateway_versions,
-        "CUSTOM_VERSIONS": custom_versions,
-    }
diff --git a/.github/workflows/deploy-staged.yml b/.github/workflows/deploy-staged.yml
index ac95c884..bb9bb961 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/deploy-staged.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/deploy-staged.yml
@@ -266,9 +266,6 @@ jobs:
             '${{ needs.resolve-modal-release-config.outputs.config_json }}' \
             '${{ needs.resolve-modal-release-config.outputs.deploy_mode }}'
 
-      - name: Verify production custom domain
-        run: bash .github/scripts/modal-custom-domain-smoke.sh
-
   publish:
     name: Publish to PyPI
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
diff --git a/changelog.d/1539.fixed.md b/changelog.d/1539.fixed.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c231cbd6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog.d/1539.fixed.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Remove the production custom-domain smoke gate from Modal deployment so code can deploy before DNS cutover.